Bluetooth Smart Devices and Low Energy support on Linux – ELCE 2012

Andre Guedes and João Paulo Rechi Vita, software engineers at Instituto Nokia de Tecnologia (INdT), give a presentation about Bluetooth Low Energy support on Linux (BlueZ stack) at the Embedded Linux Conference Europe in Barcelona on November 5, 2012.

Abstract:Bluetooth Low Energy Architecture

This presentation will cover a brief introduction on how the Bluetooth Low Energy technology works. Then it will present the current status of its support on Linux, presenting the available APIs and how to interact with Bluetooth Smart devices. Then we’ll present the profiles we’re currently working on and what support can be expected to be found on Linux and BlueZ this year. There will be also a few demos of Bluetooth Smart devices working on Linux. The audience of this talk is application or framework developers that want to add support for Bluetooth Smart devices to their software, hardware vendors,and technology curious. Basic Bluetooth understanding is recommended but not required.

The agenda of the talk is as follows:

Intro to BLE technology – Specified in Bluetooth 4.0 for low power consumption (Coin-cell battery devices), fast connection establishment and short range. BLE is to be used in PCs, wellness and medical devices, mobile phones, as well as sensors and automation.

LE profiles supported by BlueZ

Generic Attribute Profile

Proximity Profile – When reporter distances from monitor an alert is emitted